#working in a library

[okayto]

Student worker at closing during finals week: We’re definitely getting a lot of people in who you can tell have never come into the library before.

[chillwerewolf]

[archivlibrarianist]

ABSTRACTThis study seeks to explore the academic library as a workplace and understand indicators of successful performance and areas that indicate a need for improvement. A survey containing the Knowledge Intensive Work Environment Survey Target (KIWEST) was sent to academic library listservs and received 351 complete responses. Respondents were library workers employed in an academic library in the United States at the time of taking the survey. Academic libraries performed best in the areas of job autonomy, task completion clarity, competency demands, and meaning of work; respondents were less positive in the areas of perceived investment in employee development, engagement, support from supervisors, and role conflicts. Findings were consistent with previous studies about individual factors in the library workplace, and this study demonstrates consistency with academic library strengths and areas of growth.

[mossworth]

Guys, queers. Specifically my fellow queers.

I work at a library. We do this thing where, every so often, we weed the collection. It hurts to see books go, but it's necessary to make sure there's room in the library for new materials.

I have seen so much support for the library in text, and I've seen folks pass around those beautiful "queer your library" flyers. Keep doing that. That's great. Nothing wrong with that. But you HAVE to turn your words into action. We MUST remember to actually go to our local organizations and libraries and actually, with our own fucking hands, interact with these materials we want to see more of.

My branch is medium-sized for a library, maybe a little small. We don't have as many materials as I'd like, but we have fundamentals. Tell me why, even with all the verbal support I've gotten from my local community for the library as a resource for our LGBT+ community, every single trans biography and a good chunk of our vaguely queer theory books were on the list. This isn't a scheme to take the books off the shelves, it isn't another bigoted American governmental push. The only thing we look at when we weed is how long it's been since the last time the item was checked out.

Three years.

No one in my community interacted in any meaningful way with the few books on trans life and history we physically had on the shelves for three fucking years.

I promise you the materials you want and need are there, but this isn't a horde. This isn't a static safety net. You have to use them. You MUST use them or, in the future, maybe in three years, they *won't* be there anymore.

This isn't a vague post, there's no one person I'm hinting at or calling out. I'm not even talking directly to anyone who's directly in my line of sight. I just want everyone to hear this. Big library, small library, whatever. Doesn't matter. Please, we cannot be losing our shelf visibility like this.

[deadlypoetacademia]

[okayto]

To add to the above, the library will take steps if they can't afford things! For example, Seattle Public Library made news when it reduced the number of digital holds patrons could place because its patrons like digital reading so much. And I encourage people to read this article--the news isn't "oh no the library can't afford to buy all the books people want," it's framed as "look at what publishers are doing to libraries with these ridiculous prices and rules" and then mentions some possible future legislation. It's the sort of thing that helps build awareness and support.

The library knows its finances and will handle that, whether it's purchasing fewer digital resources, reducing the number of pay-per-use titles available, or other options, regardless of whether they announce it publicly (a la Seattle's own announcement or the NYPL's response to budget cuts) or implement it quietly.

Saw your post from the author who was happy people were using Libby. I'm torn as I understand the author is happy to get the license renewed, but libraries only get 26 loans on a digital license vs 60-80 loans on a physical copy. I love the convenience of digital books, but if taking out the physical copy is better for the library I'm willing to make the trip. Just looking for thoughts from others about it.

It depends on the license agreement the library has and its different for every one. Some renew annually, others renew by X amount of rentals. The library does what is best for them, and the more people use their services the more they can usually argue for more funding.

This is not universal, of course, but most of the librarians I know are ecstatic when people use their services.

[knottahooker]

Hey, it's Pride Month! As a librarian, we are doing Pride Month programs! And we are seeing so much backlash online for it. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok...the hate comments are there. I'm not posting them because a) no one needs to see that and b) I don't want to dox myself, but they're there.

If you're a member of your local library, find their social media and say something nice about these programs and posts, please? Especially if you're in one of the less liberal leaning areas. It would mean a lot to us. And attend them too! Say something nice about a Pride display (or any themed display) if you're in the building!

We'd really appreciate it. It's really hard out here.

[okayto]

Libraries are fantastic, but you have to understand: there is a tradeoff, which is: you don’t get to hang onto materials indefinitely.

You can’t yell at us because you’ve decided to use a library music score for 3 months and you have to at least bring it to the library before checking it out again. You can’t yell at us if you can’t renew it because someone else placed a hold so they can use it too. Don’t get snippy if you signed an agreement saying you understand you get this laptop for 4 weeks and then you have to return it.

Yes, libraries are fantastic, but things have to be accessible to everyone, not just  you.

[okayto]

For an additional display, you could also do non-pride displays in rainbow colors. A display without a content theme, just based around making a rainbow out of covers. Or a theme and covers (such as a romance display, since many of those have brightly-colored covers you could easily make a rainbow out of). Children's display about books on colors/with colors in the title. Et cetera, et cetera.

Not to replace a pride display, but aesthetically it could work well (particularly in June) and might bleed some attention away from angry targets. Heck, if you think it works for your situation, you could even start with rainbow displays and add a pride display (or add physical items to a pride display) a few days to a week later.

SO👏 I work in a library and every year we strive to do pride displays, but theres a certain group of assholes who will check out the majority of our queer non fic for the soul purpose of gatekeeping that information from the public.

SO I WAS WONDERING if any of you lovely internet people had online resource suggestions, or potentially any pdf booklets full of queer information I could print out?

[farenmaddox]

I need everyone to enter the era of understanding that Cas has zero taste or class. He is a blue collar angel and that is literally the whole point. His fuckass pretentious brethren are the ones who like luxury and think they're too good for lowbrow human experiences. The whole POINT is that Cas is different.

Cas likes beer and grape jelly and reality t.v. He is not watching nature documentaries; he's watching 90 Day Fiancé. He does not have a garden; he has 3 potted succulents at BEST and only because Dean takes care of them. He watches porn for the plot. He likes emojis. He's a jock. His most frequently-worn item during his graceless arc was a hoodie. He's kind of a fuckboi.

I genuinely believe seeing a ham and cheese pinwheel at a party would have caused him to wax poetic about human ingenuity.

Recognition for my working class angel who acquired his taste in music third-hand from a mechanic via the mechanic's construction worker son. He doesn't even like to read. 🙏🥰🙏

[lucybellwood]

Desperately trying to finish listening to this audiobook before Libby repos my shit

[anotherpapercut]

yesterday I went to a little meeting at my local queer community center and I was admiring their bookshelves and mentioned that I work at the public library and someone said "well I bet they don't have any [LGBTQ+ books] at our library" and I was like um. yes we do. we have tons of them. half of our employees are queer leftists so they said "oh well I bet they don't in [nearby rural county]" and I was like uh once again yes they absolutely do. gay people live and work there as well

so here's a quick reminder that if you don't think your local library has enough queer centered materials you should actually check before assuming, and if you're not satisfied with their collection you should submit a request for more such books. I don't know what the political landscape of libraries looks like outside the us rn, but within the us no matter where you are, I promise you there are employees at your library fighting for inclusion and intellectual freedom and they can't win without vocal public support

[taitavva]

that strange, erratic synchronicity

[botanyshitposts]

public libraries are so crazy man. like you’re telling me I can read this book for free

[valcove]

Life tip:

Doing fiber arts in a library may attract the librarians to you. This will be a positive interaction.

[fadesense]

it was ✶⋆ 🧜‍♂️ 𝑀𝑒𝓇𝓂𝒶𝓎 🧜‍♂️ ⋆✶!!

some sketchy mer designs for tarquin and ashur, belated for mermay. (credit to @rookfeathers for the original fish color inspo with betta fish and red-tailed sharks! ✨)